For fans of Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones or The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, Cinders & Sparrows is about a resourceful young girl prepared to meet challenges head-on and battle the forces of darkness for her friends and family.

Zita, 12 years old, orphaned, believes she's fated to a life of drudgery as a housemaid when she receives a letter informing her that she's the heir of a powerful witch family and has inherited a castle. What sounds exciting and glamorous turns out to be horrifying. When she arrives, she's greeted to the sight of a crumbling, burnt-out castle. Instead of family to greet her, she's given into the care of the cold and scheming Mrs. Cantanker. Her only allies are the castle's two servants, Bram and Minnifer, and a crow.

Clever and spirited, Zita knows that things aren't right and prowls the castle and its grounds, looking for answers. But can she survive a castle full of deadly rooms and menacing ghosts and the nefarious Mrs. Cantanker? Fast-paced with creepy, atmospheric descriptions, this fantasy will appeal to tweens and adults.

Described as a standalone, I hope that Stefan Bachmann has the opportunity to put this descriptive worldbuilding to use in other books.

This dark fantasy with its resiliant main character gets a highly recommended from me.

Great fantasy, mystical story of magic, witches and mystery! Fifth graders will love this page-turner!!

Engaging and highly readable YA novel about 12 year old housemaid Zita Brydgeborn who goes from orphan maid to sole heir of a famous witch dynasty (with castle and responsibilities to boot) overnight. But when Zita arrives at Castle Blackbird hoping to be reunited with her long lost family she is instead confronted with a partially destroyed castle that harbors spirits of the dead (both friendly and threatening), rooms that are both deadly and strange, a caretaker who hates her, and a rapidly increasing number of life-and-death mysteries.

This novel dances the line between fantasy and horror, so more sensitive readers may want to exercise caution. Currently the novel is slated to be a standalone work, but I very much hope it becomes a series and can easily see ways in which this could be achieved.

Zita is in for a strange adventure, and one I had so much fun on, when she is given a message from a scarecrow that she's inherited a castle. Right from the start you get a sense of whimsy, that remains throughout, even as just the right amount creepy works in for younger readers.

I love the creative setting and the creatures. The description of the castle gave it a spooky feeling that was still light and filled with wonder. It's a first person tale, and the main heroine is brave, sweet, often sassy, and totally relatable. There are also some fun characters Zita encounters as she attempts to find out what it means to be the last in a dynasty of witches. Bram and Minnifer made me laugh when they greeted her and continued to give me giggles as the story grew more thrilling.

I liked trying to figure out the mystery and was so happy with the ending. The story moved at a fast pace that will be perfectly suited for holding readers of all ages grippe. The tone makes it perfect to read during the Halloween season.